Charter for Compassion Blog

The Dichotomy of Grief and Celebrating Life

We, at the Charter for Compassion, over the last few months, have been facing a human dilemma, a dichotomy of celebrating and grieving a life that is ending at the same time. A few weeks ago, I wrote of the murder of David Breaux, the "Compassion Guy," and now of the impending loss of a person with whom many who work with the Charter are almost in ...

Our Task is to Shine Light

Last week's newsletter message about David Breaux hit a chord in so many people. He was a gentle man who spent endless hours on a bench, listening to people. He gave them a prompt, asking what they thought compassion meant. He was not inviting a philosophical conversation but a heartfelt conversation. So much sharing can happen on a bench. Often, i...

This is an invitation to PEACE. NOT an Anti-war plea. Language matters.

It has been more than 150 years since Julia Ward Howe and Anna Jarvis lived and mothered on this planet. Most people are not aware that our current U.S. Mother's Day began as a campaign for cleanliness and sanitation. Anna Jarvis gave birth to 11 children, four who made it to adulthood, and the rest died from childhood sicknesses brought on by a la...

David Breaux,

David was a champion of compassion. He was committed to awakening the world to compassion, and he always introduced the Charter for Compassion to those he met. He came to the community in which I lived at the time and spent a week outside the local bakery, seated on a bench, engaging people in conversation, and inviting them to write in his compass...

On April 18th, 2023, Sara Jamil was awarded the prestigious Naim Malik Award for promoting Intercultural Friendship at the City of Richmond Hill's bi-annual Volunteer Achievement Awards at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts. Naim Malik was dedicated to having the many cultural groups in Richmond Hill come together. He worked with the ...

This week's guest author is Michael Lisagor, a longtime friend of the Charter, who's contributed to our newsletter on occasion. This piece on stretching ourselves really struck me, and I'm so pleased to share his words here with you.With warm regards, Marilyn I remember when my brother ran his first full marathon. He was so proud of himself for hav...

Good on you, mate

I love Australia, but then again, I love India and Mexico, and also the nation of my family roots, Croatia. However, I am fascinated by the concept of "mateship" that Australia has given to the world. I'm not certain the term is well known outside Australia, but it certainly is worth exploring outside the borders of the "Down-Under Continent." I re...

Don't just look at the spring, touch it, taste it. Get it inside you. ~Vincent Van Gogh Too much is happening in the world. What else can we do but take each day given to us as it comes. The Irish poet, John O'Donohue always brings a measure of solace to my heart when I can't express the exasperation running through my body. Turn off the news for a...

Don't get me wrong. I'm an avid believer, supporter, rememberer, and applier of the Golden Rule (I really try). I've been taught countless lessons, had hundreds of conversations, and shared tears and hugs with strangers when we talked about the Golden Rule and what it means to treat others the same way I want to be treated--you know, about the Gold...

We are very excited to invite you to join us on Wednesday, the 5th of April, for our monthly Global Read, which doesn't just promise to be a special one, it is a special one! We will celebrate Golden Rule Day 2023 on this very same day. And it is no coincidence, of course, that we've selected the publication GoldenRuleism to share, explore and prom...

Restoring Our Ancient Bond with the Natural World

[Religion is hard work.] Its rituals are designed to effect a profound change within us. A religious ritual should be a transformative event—it can never be a matter of simply going through the motions, however, piously. Holiness demands that we change our lives and, indeed, our very selves. The sacrificer spent months in an uncomfortable hut, unde...

I will start my reflections on my 184 St. Patrick's Day Challenge, purposely, with a long quote that resonated strongly with me, upon completion of the one Full Day on the saddle. -Fyodor Dostoevsky, "The grass glowed with bright and fragrant flowers, birds were flying fearlessly in the air, perched on my head and arms, they joyfully struck me with...

Doing whats's right!

Walking the dog, I listen to the birds and the wind in the trees. I love the quiet alone time and allowing my mind to wander. Often, I mull over things I've read or stories that friends have told me and I notice the compassion or its absence. The story I'm sharing with you below touched me and it kept resurfacing in my mind. Its author shared it, i...

Healing Ourselves, Healing the World: Delving Deeper

Growing up as a gay kid in a conservative community, within the generally very conservative society of Chile during the 90s made me develop thoughts and feelings about myself that I don't really wish on anyone. I felt like I was a mistake, that I needed to be healed somehow from this curse because I was an abomination to the world. I developed...

The last Saturday of every month the Charter holds a Sangha (circle) with Orla O'Sullivan, education coordinator at Plum Village, the retreat center founded by the late master Thich Nhat Hanh. Spending ninety minutes in Sangha, which you are most welcome to join, is sacred. We often laugh, sit in silence and comfort, and sometimes find ourselv...

Day 40 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media.  Day 40! Whew! What a whirlwind! If you read one or more blog posts, watched our videos on social media, or felt something with anything we put out there to celebrate Marti...

Day 39 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media.  Today's entry is a good one on Home.  What is home, and the meaning behind it? Thanks for sharing, Shane. And we are one day away from finishing these ...

The Charter for Compassion Team just spent the last few weeks pulling together our 2022 Impact Report. After putting the finishing touches on it yesterday, I wrote a letter that will be published along with the report. I decided I wanted to share that with you here before we release the report in the next week or so. It is a bit of history and a bi...

Day 38 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media.  Lovely thoughts today on compassion for others as it sprouts from self-compassion. Read Day 1 here to learn the story behind this series! You can reach us via all our soci...

Day 37 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media.  Shane digs into empathy today, and I'm digging it!  And he's biking lots and lots in just one day! Have this in mind as you read today's entry: What if empa...

Day 36 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media.  I loved today's entry from Shane. Forgiveness lets us live free of the emotional weigh that although most likely caused by others, it's only held and stays heavy due to ou...

Day 35 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media.  Today Shane takes us through a wonderful journey of seeing ourselves in the eyes of those we might sometimes have a hard time understanding, or getting along with, or even...

Day 34 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media.  Read Day 1 here to learn the story behind this series! You can reach us via all our social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, or via ema...

Day 33 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media.  Today Shane gives a real-life application to emotional awareness and using what he practiced while biking, in a real-life situation the same day! Serendipitous, or did he ...

Day 32 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media.  Another self-regulation sesh, I'm all about it. Thanks, Shane. Read Day 1 here to learn the story behind this series! You can reach us via all our social media platforms l...

From Marilyn: Barbara Kaufmann is the lead for the Charter for Compassion's Art Sector. She is also a skilled writer and has a background as a medical professional. The response that follows is a reflection on last week's blog on the natural disaster that occurred in Syria and Turkey earlier this month. This entry was written on February ...

Day 31 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media.  I LOVE HAVING METHODS OF RELAXATION and SELF-REGULATION TAUGHT TO ME! IT'S MY LOVE LANGUAGE. Shane gives us lots of lovin' by sharing a couple of different metho...

Day 30 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media.  Although I agree for the most part with Shane's message today, I'd say I can replace parenthood, with mentoring, or even with friends, helping via example, and leading the...

Day 29 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media.  I love the slinky metaphor used in today's entry by Shane. I also love the way he shares his personal worries and what's causing him stress and a creative 5-item list to h...

Day 28 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media.  Read Day 1 here to learn the story behind this series! You can reach us via all our social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, or via ema...

Day 27 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media.  Read Day 1 here to learn the story behind this series! You can reach us via all our social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, or via ema...

Day 26 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media.  Appreciation post for the ones before us and who we are because, somehow, of them. As an immigrant myself, I felt this blog. Thanks, Shane! Read Day 1 here to learn the st...

Day 25 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media.  Wooooof...! Get ready to be fired up...! Remembering compassion behind all that Shane shares today, how do we get there? How do we change all these systems we've grown up ...

On March 9th, 2012, at the Omer Ersoy Cultural Center in Gaziantep, Turkey, Dr. Helen McConnell and Mufti Dr. Ali Bakkal led a presentation on Compassion in Islam. McConnell represented the newly formed Charter for Compassion and one of its programs, Compassionate Cities. At the end of the conference, a protocol was signed by then-Mayor Dr. Asim Gü...

Day 24 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media.  Today Shane shares a great eye-opener with lots of knowledge behind it. This might be a bit controversial to some, but I truly believe that a compassionate society is...

Day 20 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media.  Man, oh, man...! I loved today's entry. I think so many of these compassion training that are offered are so great, but are offered to the crowd that would make the least impac...

Day 20 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media.  A beautiful discourse on Love, loving, and what the world would be if we had it as our main priority, from personal, to parental, and political. Great reminders that love moves...

Day 20 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media.  Today Shane brings us back to the possibilities of Peace. The joy that we may share, the sole opportunity to have peace should be reason enough to celebrate. Since we gotta put...

Day 20 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media.  CONGRATULATIONS, SHANEW! You are halfway there!! 800 km down, 800 more to go, and 20 more beautiful insights for us all. Todays sharing on you experiences made me realize that ...

Day 19 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media.  Today's message goes along the lines of igniting. Fuel! How do we energize our desire to create peace in our communities? What is our fuel, what helps us light that compas...

Day 18 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media.  Read Day 1 here to learn the story behind this series! You can reach us via all our social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, or via ema...

It comes around once a year, and as a holiday, Valentine's Day allows us to focus on people we care about and elevate them to a special place of recognition.  Here is the basic truth when it comes to the Charter for Compassion, each of you is the Charter.  Every one of the 170,000+ names we have in our database is unique and very spe...

Day 17 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media.  Today Shane gives us beautiful words on forgiveness and letting go. Thank you, Shane! Read Day 1 here to learn the story behind this series! You can reach us via all ...

Day 16 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media.  I shed a tear or two reading this one... Feel it with me... Peace is hard work, my friends... Peace is going against the grain. It's trying and trying and doing and doing....

Day 15 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media. Shane shares about those quotes... those saying that really shake you. That leaves you thinking...! How many times have we experienced those? Experienced a change of opinion? A ...

Day 14 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media. Shane talks about Shool Day of Non-Violence and Peace and how authenticity and staying true to one's beliefs precedes peace. Thanks, Shane! Read Day 1 here to learn the sto...

Day 13 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media. Shane talks to us about how Companionship aids Peace and our Compassionate goals. Read Day 1 here to learn the story behind this series! You can reach us via all ...

Day 12 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media. Today we got a great story coming from Ireland, Shane's motherland! Thanks for sharing, Shane! Read Day 1 here to learn the story behind this series! You can reach us via a...

Day 11 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media. Breathing... Breathwork... Oh! the power of Oxygen...! Read up, my friends! Read Day 1 here to learn the story behind this series! You can reach us via all our social media...

It is happening on April 1-16; a stream of events and a major conference rolled into one package. The Charter for Compassion, AgeNation, and a wonderful group of other organizations plus a cast of more than 50 well-known authors, experts, musicians and performers, film and documentary producers, and other luminaries are coming together to be part o...

Day 10 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media. Happy 400 Km, Shane! Read Day 1 here to learn the story behind this series! You can reach us via all our social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Linke...

"Healing Ourselves, Healing the World; Delving Deeper through the Chakras" Delve: to examine carefully to discover more information What does "Healing the World" look like? Can I imagine a healed self? This is the Charter for Compassion's 2023 invitation and exploration. To ourselves, and to you, dear, blessed human. In the film, "Mission: Joy - Fi...

Day 9 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media. Shane split his 40 k indoors and outdoors. Peace requires work.  Read Day 1 here to learn the story behind this series! You can reach us via all our social media platfo...

Day 8 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media. A beautiful story on parenthood and the magic of children's curiosity. Read Day 1 here to learn the story behind this series! You can reach us via all our social media platforms ...

Day 7 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media. This one goes to the environment and Mother Earth.  Read Day 1 here to learn the story behind this series! You can reach us via all our social media platforms like Facebook,...

Here's Day 6 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media. This one is very Golden Rule-y, and I'm all for it. You can read Day 1 here to learn the story behind this series! And Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, and Day 5. We hope you fee...

Here's Day 5 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media. You can read Day 1 here to learn the story behind this series! And Day 2, Day 3, and Day 4. We hope you feel inspired by what is shared during the upcoming days, and if en...

Dear friends of the Charter, Here's Day 4 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media. You can read Day 1 here to learn the story behind this series! And Day 2, and Day 3. We hope you feel inspired by what is shared during the up...

Banner showing part of Martin Luther King's face, title of the article: The Building of a Beloved Community

For those of you who follow the Charter for Compassion and read our newsletters every week, you know that our topics vary greatly. As you may also know, we have just started our 40 Days of Peace program commemorating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King. Each day, until February 28, we are adding events to our calendar to inform, reflect on an...

Dear friends of the Charter, Here's Day 3 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media. You can read Day 1 here to learn the story behind this series! And Day 2, here. We hope you feel inspired by what is shared during the upcoming day...

Dear friends of the Charter, Here's Day 2 of the "40K for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media. You can read Day 1 here to learn the story behind this series! We hope you feel inspired by what is shared during the upcoming days, and if encouraged e...

Dear friends of the Charter,  I'm excited to introduce you to our "40Ks for 40 Days" blog series during our Martin Luther King 40 days of Peace Campaign on the Charter's blog and through social media. Shane O'Connor, our newest staff member, has decided to bike 40 km a day during these 40 days.  While on his daily ride...

6 open face sandwiched with different toppings on the side with the title in the middle

Welcome to 2023! Here at the Charter for Compassion we are putting compassion into action, and we want to challenge you to do the same. Back in 2011, NPR's (National Public Radio in the USA) Neal Conan interviewed the Charter for Compassion's founder, Karen Armstrong. Six minutes into their chat, he had an epiphany. "This all seems a little harder ...

"I remember the big white house on Steiner Street, and my little sister Dagmar, and my big brother Nels, and Papa. But most of all, I remember Mama." These were the opening lines from the play, later an early 1950s television series, I Remember Mama, the story of an immigrant Norwegian family living in San Francisco in 1910. The story is told throu...

Your children are not your children They are the sons and daughters of life's longing for itself They come through you but not from you And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you You may give them your love but not your thoughts For they have their own thoughts You may house their bodies but not their souls For their souls dwell in th...

So many of us have had to watch the slaughter taking place in Ukraine, and we are angry! We ache for a cease-fire and a return to sanity! What human beings have apparently not caught on to is that war is obsolete! Many of us have learned from previous conflicts, and with the specter of Climate Change looming over all of us, that fighting with a des...

It is just an ordinary bench that has on it a plaque that, along with graphics of 2 people talking on a bench, there is the text "Sit here if you don't mind someone stopping to say hello," located on the main street in downtown Richmond Hill, Ontario.  By sitting on a Happy to Chat bench, people will know that you're open to a friendly ta...

Like most of us, I imagine, when something needs maintenance, I like a quick fix or even better—a cheap quick fix. But when it sounds too good to be true... It usually is, and sometimes, especially in the case of work needed to save our planet and humanity, the necessary work is so fundamental that it is a long-term undertaking. Of course, our...

We give because someone gave to us.We give because nobody gave to us. We give because giving has changed us.We give because giving could have changed us. We have been better for it,We have been wounded by it— Giving has many faces: It is loud and quiet,Big, though small, diamond in wood-nails. Its story is old, the plot worn and the pages too,But w...

That's at the core of the Charter for Compassion's work. Compassion is a tricky word.It so often is used incorrectly. Too many people dismiss it as "soft" or ineffective" in solving problems. It is not! Compassion is powerful! It means action. These actions are expressions of kindness; from the smallest gestures that take little effort on any ...

My dear siblings in compassion, Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Thank you to all who 'virtually' attended the Global Gala 2022: Architects of Justice. We loved listening to powerful music by Yael Deckelbaum and the Mothers, Pato Banton, Nimo Patel and Shivani Ray, Holly Near, Elizaveta Izmalkova, Aliza Hava, Fabrice Nkurunziza, Camerata...

These last four weeks I've been writing about the Gala and each of the Humanitarian Awards we will present on November 12 at our Global Gala. The week before those blogs appeared, I wrote about the Global Gala Gallery. (I got high marks in school for my understanding of alliteration). Each week as I wrote these entries, I felt a little gu...

I always want to tell these young idealists that the world is not as dangerous as many in the older generation want them to believe...The [people] for whom I feel the greatest sadness are the ones who choke on their beliefs, who never act on their ideals, who never know the state of struggle in a decent cause, and never know the thrill of even part...

I've been thinking about grit as a character trait ever since we decided on the theme for this year's Gala; Architects of Justice. Say "grit" and my mind immediately goes to the Charles Porter classic novel, True Grit with its infamous lines, "There is nothing free except the Grace of God. You cannot earn that or deserve it." While Porter's pr...

I feel with God His oneness He takes my breath away Exhaling and inhaling Rhythmically in and out Present in prayer and meditation He exists inside me And outside of me He is the life force that exists in all creatures He occupies the whole universe Yet he has found a home Within the inner corners of my heart He is the force that holds Molecules an...

Deogratias Niyizonkiza: An Example of Self-Actualization "What a man (sic) can be, he must be," so said Abraham Maslow the proponent of the theory of self-actualization. I remember reading that Maslow thought that few people got to the full potential of their capabilities when it came to be self-actualized. Well, Maslow never met Deogratias Niyizon...

Mary Robinson: A Pillar of Justice and Human Rights I first learned of Mary Robinson when I was involved in a project on Women World Leaders. I was to write a curriculum to accompany the documentary film by Laura Liswood, consisting of a compilation of interviews with women who were leaders in political office around the world. The mid 1990s saw a ...

Last year during our Gala 2021 we featured a song by Holly Near. The words are apropos for announcing the recipients of our 2022 Charter for Compassion Humanitarian Awards: I am open and I am willing. For to be hopeless would seem so strange. It dishonors those who go before us. So, lift me up to the light of change. There is a hurting in my family...

Dictionaries define trivia as unimportant, inconsequential or non-essential facts. They are trifles, kernels of information that we can do without because they don't get to the heart of the matter. However, what might be a triviality to one person may not be a trifle to the person to whom that bit of information refers. Leaving the lingui...

Art isn't captured only in shows and installations. Art is everywhere in raw form—and as a part of this year's Global Gala the Charter is introducing a Gallery filled with wonderful creations from an extraordinary group of people—each taking an idea, feeling or passion, adding the raw ingredients and creating a personal masterpiece. Some of these m...

InBodiedLight Being #9 from back, ZaHaVa Sherez, InBodiedLight Being #9 from the front.  Art is not often passive or silent. It can hold fantasy, depict reality, convey emotion, carry gravitas, transport one to other places, and trigger a physical reaction. The art of ZaHaVa Sherez is engaging and inspiring. First, I find myself glancing,...

I've got celebration on my mind. Perhaps it is because at the Charter for Compassion we are in the midst of planning our 2022 Global Gala, during which we honor three extraordinary individuals who have made more than significant contributions to the world and one organization that has done the same. We won't announce the names until the end of Sept...

We are excited to announce a new addition to our webinar series: Adrian Dingle of Raising the Roof in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, presenting next Tuesday, August 30th at 8 am Pacific Time.  The fifth installment of "Housing is a Human Right," our newest webinar series, introduced us to Eden Village. Nate Schlueter, gave us a rundown on...

We've been busy at the Charter designing ways to reach out to our members and partners, as we say, "It all begins with a conversation" and that's what we're looking for here: conversations with you - yes, you, and you too. We strongly believe that, now -more than ever- compassion needs to come upfront in most conversations and dialogues; there's a ...

Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. August 2022 The Encuentro Mundial de Valores (EMV) (Worldwide Meeting on Human Values) is an annual event that was launched with the visit of H.H. the Dalai Lama back in 2006, in the city of Monterrey, Mexico, founded and directed by María Cristina González Parás as a non-profit NGO. Every year, this event offers...

The fourth installment of "Housing is a Human Right," our newest webinar series, introduced us to The Other Side Village in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Tim Stay, CEO, gave us a rundown on how their organization started their project, giving us details on how they function, the way they apply the Golden Rule (Treat others as you want to be treated) t...

As the development director of the Charter for Compassion, interesting tidbits of information float through my inbox. And this is one example: August is Make-A-Will month. This was news to me and it reminded me of Fred Henry. First, a few words about Fred. I met Fred early in 2022, when he reached out to say that he would like to volunteer with the...

The third installment of "Housing is a Human Right," our newest webinar series, introduced us to SquareOne Villages in Eugene, Cottage Grove, and Springfield, Oregon, USA. Dan Bryant and Andrew Heben gave us a run down on how their organization started their project, giving us details on how they function, the models they have studied and use for l...

The second installment of "Housing is a Human Right," our newest webinar series, introduced us to Community First! Village in Austin, Texas, USA. Amber Fogarty gave us a run down on how their organization started their project, giving us details on how they function, the many offerings they have for their residents, and lots of questions answered b...

Covid. The Floods in Eastern Kentucky. The War in Ukraine. Records Heat Waves in Europe. Monkeypox. Inflation Across the Globe. Do I need to go on? I didn't think so. Take a deep breath. Let quiet enter your being. Breathe out. Read on. As the Mayan Calendar heralded an end to an epoch on December 21, 2012, we welcomed in a brave new world. But, we...

The Charter for Compassion has a new strategic partner, The New 3Rs. Today's guest author is Dr. M. Starita Boyce Ansari, founder The New 3Rs. Dr. Ansari is a scholar in the field of economics of discrimination and education inequity. Her work has been recognized by The Ford Foundation, The W. K. Kellogg Foundation, and numerous institutions. As th...

We hope that the first episode of "Housing is a Human Right," our newest webinar series, provided a clear introduction to the organizations that are taking action to address the homelessness and housing crises in their communities. We had a lively conversation with Amber Fogarty of Community First Village in Austin, Texas; Dan Bryant and Andrew Heb...

It was 10:30 in the evening. I sat rather exhausted outside the Atlanta airport on a bench, soaking up waves of the Georgian humidity. The only aspiration I had at this point was anticipating the hotel shuttle picking me up. Marty, another jet-lagged passenger, shuffled his way over to the vacant seat beside me and sat down. I was on my way to spea...

About 3 years after I graduated from university as an international student, I was working for an organization that decided to not sponsor my working visa anymore. For those that don't know about immigration law in the USA, once your visa ends, you have 6 months to find a new employer to sponsor a new visa, or you must go back to your country. You ...

In Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankel wrote that "Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms--to choose one's attitude in any set of circumstances, to choose one's own way." On July 13th , we offer an unusual Global Read, You Can Choose Your Own Life. The subtitle is "Stories for Decision Making." There i...

"Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms--to choose one's attitude in any set of circumstances, to choose one's own way. ----Victor E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning  In the 1980s, in an agricultural county in central California, teen pregnancy rates were soaring off the charts. Parents and educators ...

When Karen Armstrong had the idea that we needed a Charter for Compassion to help guide our way forward into the 21st century, the TED organization asked the world to contribute their ideas about what should be in such a Charter. When we were a little more grounded in our ideas about helping to create compassionate communities, we asked people who ...

What do you feel when you see flags? Is there a sense of pride or belonging? What about fear or anxiety? Certainly, they are symbols that are assimilated differently by different people, nevertheless, they represent something, like nations, countries, groups of people, organizations, etc. Wikipedia describes flags as distinctive pieces of fabric us...

We are excited to share two incredible new projects at the Charter for Compassion:  The Co-Creators Map and Grassroots Wisdom and Action book. They are entirely in and of the hands of our members, partners, and community initiatives. Their success will come about because all of us are interested in sharing our stories, good work...

The shadow side of human nature springs from defense mechanisms deeply embedded in biology and psychology. Not an abstract at all, the shadow is the expression of the dark side of the human ego. Very few people meet circumstances in their lives that cause them to conquer the wildness of their own ego. However, the dissolution of the human ego is ta...